Doctors & Nutrition
The Gist: Doctors don’t learn about nutrition.
Really!?
Doctors spend about 27,000 hours doing coursework in medical school, and only 19 hours (on average) is spent on nutrition. That’s less than 1% of your doctor’s education, and for 80% of medical schools, nutrition education isn’t even required. So there are many doctors with little to no nutrition education at all.
Visual: Scale representation of nutrition education to everything else for medical school students.
What Now?
If you’re interested in eating healthier or changing your diet, the best person to talk to is a Registered Dietician aka a nutritionist. RDs must have a degree in dietetics or nutrition, pass a certification exam, and do clinical internships before they’re allowed to practice. Health insurance typically covers visits with an RD, and if you need a referral - ask your doctor for one! You don’t need to be sick or have a specific condition.
Resources
Journal of the American Medical Association’s (JAMA) take
A more global perspective from The Lancet
Read the American Society for Nutrition’s opinion.
A Full Picture of Your Health
Nutrition is just one piece of your overall health.
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